Volunteers and emergency personnel involved in the search for missing boy AJ Elfalak on a property at Putty are taking COVID tests after a potential coronavirus exposure.
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NSW Health has not yet confirmed that about 130 police, SES and Rural Fire Service volunteers have been notified of a potential exposure.
Journalists covering the search have not yet been told to seek urgent testing.
But volunteers told the Newcastle Herald on Tuesday morning that they believed they could have been exposed to the virus.
A Rural Fire Service spokesperson referred questions to NSW Police, which in turn referred inquiries to NSW Health.
Putty Community Association posted a message on Facebook on Tuesday saying a positive case had surfaced at the town's St Shenouda Christian Coptic Orthodox Monastery.
The Newcastle Herald understands the monastery is in Nepean Blue Mountains local health district, but the Elfanak property is in the Hunter New England Health region.
Sources said a COVID-19 case had been linked to the monastery about a week ago, before AJ went missing on Friday, and the church had been closed.
NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said at Tuesday morning's daily COVID-19 briefing that she was not aware of a potential Putty exposure.
"We'll do everything we can to get that information out as soon as possible," she said.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said at his daily conference with regional media that he was not aware of the details of the Putty case.
MORE TO COME